Austin Harmon, 26, was convicted on Dec. 15 of three counts of felony death by vehicle, three counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and driving while impaired, and was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years. The June 13, 2022 crash on Fort Dobbs Road near Statesville, N.C., involved Harmon’s Honda Accord striking a golf cart that killed Michael Marlowe, 39, and his children Bentley, 5, and Jada, 13. Three others were seriously injured. Testimony included Marlowe’s fiancée describing how she tossed their toddler from the cart seconds before the collision; family members delivered emotional statements at sentencing.
Driver Sentenced to Minimum 20 Years After Golf Cart Crash Killed Father and Two Children
GoFundMe (2); First Presbyterian Church of Statesville, NC/FacebookMichael Marlowe, Jada Marlowe, Bentley Marlowe
A North Carolina man was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of multiple felonies for a crash that killed a father and two children.
Austin Harmon, 26, was convicted on Dec. 15 of three counts of felony death by vehicle, three counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and driving while impaired, according to reporting from local outlets including WBTV, WCNC and the Iredell Free Press. The conviction followed a two-week trial.
The collision occurred around 10 p.m. on June 13, 2022, on Fort Dobbs Road near Statesville, North Carolina, when prosecutors say Harmon’s Honda Accord struck a golf cart carrying Michael Marlowe and five other people. Marlowe, 39, and his children Bentley, 5, and Jada, 13, were killed. Three others — Marlowe’s fiancée, the couple’s 2-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old — suffered serious injuries, court testimony and local reports said.
Eyewitness Testimony
During the trial, Marlowe’s fiancée, Amy Mills, testified that she tossed their toddler from the golf cart moments before impact in a desperate attempt to save her. In court she said:
"Because that was my first instinct. I knew we were going to get hit. She was so little. So, I just threw her. I just threw her and hoped for the best."
Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence tying Harmon’s actions to the crash; defense attorney Kaleigh Darty told the court Harmon expressed remorse and said he wished he could undo the events of that night.
Sentencing Remarks
At sentencing, family members delivered emotional statements. Jada’s mother, Savannah Boltz, described her daughter as forgiving and urged Harmon to change, telling him: "Be good. If you cannot be good for yourself, be good for Jada." Michael Marlowe’s father, Ed Marlowe, told the judge the crash had "ruined all of our lives forever," according to local reporting.
An online obituary noted that Bentley had just graduated from preschool at First Presbyterian Church of Statesville and enjoyed swimming, bowling, four-wheeling and anything Spider-Man related. Multiple GoFundMe pages have been created to support the victims’ family.
This case was covered by PEOPLE and several North Carolina news organizations, including WBTV, WCNC, WSOC-TV and the Iredell Free Press.
